City Commission Approves Ordinance for Prepay Gasoline

Get ready to pay before you pump! As of January 1, it will be mandatory at all Bowling Green gas stations.

The city commission voted 3-to-2, Tuesday night, in favor of the ordinance that will force you to pay before you pump.

David Browning owns 14 Shell stations in our area and says he's happy about the ordinance.

Browning says: "I'm not sure exactly how much we've lost in the last year because of drive-offs, but it's dramatically increased since the price of gasoline has gotten upwards of three dollars."

Opponents of the ordinance feared the mandatory pre-pay would drive business away from local stations.

City Commissioner, Dr. Brian Strow says: "I am definitely 100 percent against making prepay gas mandatory. If a gas station wants to make their customers prepay fine, but I don't think the government should tell a business you have to make your customers pay in a certain way."

Browning says: "I know it's going to be inconvenient for some people. But I think the good outweighs the bad. I think that roughly half of the people who buy gasoline, from us at least, use a credit card now."

The Bowling Green Police Department says the ordinance will effectively end gas driveoffs.

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